The UFL is Taking Shape

hagan714 · 09-18-2007, 08:02 PM

HUYGHUE HEADING TO UFL

Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Journal reported on Monday that NFL agent Michael Huyghue has been named the first Commissioner of the UFL, a new pro football league that could begin playing games as early as 2008.

We recently mentioned in this space rumors to that effect.

This means that Huyghue will have to stop serving as an NFL player agent, given NFLPA rules preventing certified contract advisers from "[h]olding or seeking to hold, either directly or indirectly, a financial interest in any professional football club or in any other business entity when such investment could create an actual conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict of interest in the representation of NFL players." And Huyghue realizes that he can no longer be involved in the "day-to-day operations of his sports agency."

But we think it goes farther than that. We think he needs to turn in his agent card, and act at most in an Eddie DeBartolo-type of capacity.

Even then, we're not sure that it should be permissible for Huyghue to maintain any ties to the NFL. His job as the Commissioner of the UFL is to make the league competitive with the NFL; how can he be truly doing that if part of his time is spent running an agency that derives revenue from NFL teams? Ideally, the UFL would like to see the NFL diminish in wealth and popularity. But that would hurt Huygue's interests in his sports agency, since he is paid based on what his clients earn, and his clients are paid based on how much money the NFL generates.

And that is a classic, textbook conflict of interest.

The mere fact that the folks calling the shots at the UFL didn't demand that Huyghue immediately drop any interest in a business that relies upon NFL money makes us wonder whether the brains behind the new league truly "get it," and it makes us think that the UFL will be nothing more than a short-term curiosity that spends most of its fleeting existence trying clumsily to get out of its own way.

Ok we talked about it earlier this year and they seem to be getting it all together.

09-18-2007, 08:02 PM	#1
hagan714 LB Mentallity Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 15,870 Blog Entries: 68	The UFL is Taking Shape HUYGHUE HEADING TO UFL Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Journal reported on Monday that NFL agent Michael Huyghue has been named the first Commissioner of the UFL, a new pro football league that could begin playing games as early as 2008. We recently mentioned in this space rumors to that effect. This means that Huyghue will have to stop serving as an NFL player agent, given NFLPA rules preventing certified contract advisers from "[h]olding or seeking to hold, either directly or indirectly, a financial interest in any professional football club or in any other business entity when such investment could create an actual conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict of interest in the representation of NFL players." And Huyghue realizes that he can no longer be involved in the "day-to-day operations of his sports agency." But we think it goes farther than that. We think he needs to turn in his agent card, and act at most in an Eddie DeBartolo-type of capacity. Even then, we're not sure that it should be permissible for Huyghue to maintain any ties to the NFL. His job as the Commissioner of the UFL is to make the league competitive with the NFL; how can he be truly doing that if part of his time is spent running an agency that derives revenue from NFL teams? Ideally, the UFL would like to see the NFL diminish in wealth and popularity. But that would hurt Huygue's interests in his sports agency, since he is paid based on what his clients earn, and his clients are paid based on how much money the NFL generates. And that is a classic, textbook conflict of interest. The mere fact that the folks calling the shots at the UFL didn't demand that Huyghue immediately drop any interest in a business that relies upon NFL money makes us wonder whether the brains behind the new league truly "get it," and it makes us think that the UFL will be nothing more than a short-term curiosity that spends most of its fleeting existence trying clumsily to get out of its own way. Ok we talked about it earlier this year and they seem to be getting it all together.
	"We may have lost the game, but you'll be hurting tomorrow." Doug Atkins

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